Is it possible to make ‘good guys’ cool again?

From the moment they released the first image of the new Joker (Suicide Squad 2016) in 2015, many could predict the direction producers were headed.

With his innovative, physical appearance, they intended to make the Joker cool; someone to aspire to…and judging by the YouTube comments on various Suicide Squad videos, they succeeded.

Men say the Joker is the ultimate alpha male and want to be him.

Women now want to be with him.

I have already confessed that the Joker Harley ‘vat scene’ (which is actually a perverted form of romance) possessed a dark, magnetic allure to it. It was really well-written; the dialogue, choreography, and music brought appeal, pleasing contemporary audiences universally. And yes, I liked it very much as a long standing fan of Batman who had never seen this angle to the characters.

However, I also saw the incredible danger of the material and the fantasies it will create, which is a very warped version of what a romantic relationship should be; Joker proceeded to rescue Harley from captivity twice in the film, heightening the twisted love they share and making the Joker–a psychopathic, narcissistic, megalomaniac, serial killer–some form of hero.